What is voodoo, anyway? I've seen it represented in "Angel
Heart" and "Live and Let Die," and I've heard it
associated with the scarier sets of Tarot cards. On occasion I've
caught late-night movies in which snickering villains bend and
prod wax dollies thus causing hapless victims to suffer broken
limbs and piercing pain. As Peggy Lee might ask, is that all there
is? Or is voodoo something more approachable, more real? Thank,
um, Chicken that this article about a New Orleans voodoo exhibit
provides some answers.

Speaking of spooky rituals, imagine an activity in which you enter
an imposing edifice, gather into a tight group, wear strange footwear,
and follow a cryptic set of codes while imbibing potions. Imagine
further that each member of your congregation must step up to
a magic ceremonial line and attempt to destroy ten icons of vaguely
human form while avoiding the hellish pits that loom on either
side. Brrrr! Anyone want to go bowling?

If you think that ritual sounds evil, get a load of this: Many
of our culture's youths spend countless hours secretly fixating
upon icons of consumption. These icons have nothing to do with
established religion as we know it, but rather revolve around
the primal thrill of sensation and the cult of mastication. Full
mythologies have sprung up around these edible gateways to adult
sin. Kids call them "sweets," but we know better.

Scariest of all, have you heard about the children's narcissism
movement? Following a depraved ideology in which they worship
nobody but themselves, young people roam through our cities asserting
their spiritual dominance by leaving codified versions of their
own names wherever they go. Some call this diabolical blasphemy
"graffiti," and it's even starting to rear its ugly,
hydra-like head on the Internet. Egads, get me out of here!

Now What?
A gallery of captivating links to keep your imagination churning while the paint dries. [13]

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Sacred Sisters
New Orleans and Haiti have a shared history of voodoo that continues to this day. [2]D. Eric Bookhardt

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for?
Click here to find out, or just ignore them.

Bowl-o-Rama
Put down that joystick and imbibe in some real Industrial Age leisure time: Bowling. [3]Zak Weisfeld